Adjustable strike



June 21, 1966 F. J. RUSSELL ETAL 3,257,139

ADJUSTABLE STRIKE Filed Dec. 6, 1963 VEN I 33 I I250 J, I US$21.

1; R0652 J; NOL/N l3 BY ATTORNEYS Patented June '21 1 966 3,257,139 ADJUSTABLE STRIKE Fred J. Russell, 8635 Otis St., South Gate, Calif., and

Roger J. Nolin, Monterey Park, Calif.; said Nolin assignor to said Russell Filed Dec. 6, 1963, Ser. No. 328,754

3 Claims. (Cl. 292-34118) The invention here under consideration may be classed as lock hardware of a type directly associated with operation of a door lock. The hardware under consideration is commonly identified in the trade as a strike. In most instances it consists of a plate of some description which is fastened to the door frame having a lip on one side against which a latch bolt strikes before entering a hole so as to retain the door in closed position.

One of the most common expedients heretofore employed as a strike has consisted of a simple plate having a strike lip on one side and a hole intermediate opposite ends, usually rectangular in shape, which is designed to receive the latch bolt. Customar-ily, a hole is chiseled in the door frame to coincide with the hole in the strike, which is mounted upon the door frame with wood screws.

When a strike of this type is mounted upon the door frame by the average workman, it is not always possible on each and every occasion to prepare the hole and fasten the strike with a desired degree of accuracy. When this happens, the location of the strike must be readjusted, sometimes only a slight amount, and this usually means resetting the screws. If the adjustment is one of only a small fraction of an inch, it is not always possible to make new screw holes at a new location close to the old one without having the screws slip back into the original erroneous location, unless some time consuming operation such as filling the original holes is employed.

On other occasions, even thongh the strike is properly located in the first instance, the door or the frame may warp or settle slightly, sufficient to misalign the strike with the lock. Again, readjustment by slight increments experiences the same difliculties as has been noted above.

It is, therefore, one of the objects of the invention to provide a new and improved strike with an adjustable latch bolt retaining surface. I

Still another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved strike with an adjustable latch bolt retaining surface which can be readjusted without disturbing the position of the strike on the door.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved strike and anchoring member of such char-' acter that the anchoring member can be permanently fastened to the door frame in a manner permitting the strike to be adjusted relative to the anchoring member without disturbing the permanent location of the anchoring member.

Still further among the objects of the invention is to provide a new and improved adjustable strike device, one element of which is permanently fastened to the door frame, andthe other element of which can be adjusted relative to the first element at any time and without disturbing the permanent location of the first element, the adjustment being made possible by simple screw means easily tightened and loosened at will by employment of a screwdriver, and which, once properly tightened, fastens the parts together with a great degree of firmness sufli- FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a adjustable strike in position upon a door frame.

FIGURE 2 is an exploded view of the various parts of the adjust-able strike in the relative relationships they have to each other and to a door frame.

FIGURE 3 is an edgewise elevational view partially broken away to show part of the attachment means.

7 FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary, longitudinal sectional view on the line 4-4 of FIGURE 3.

'FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view 10 upon the face 12 consists, in the selected embodiment,

of two essential parts, namely an anchoring member 13 and a movable member 14. More particularly, the anchoring member is in the form of a plate having opposite ends 15 and 16 between which is a strike opening 1 7, the ends 15 and 16 being interconnected by a strip 18. Near the outer edge of the end 15 is a screw hole 19, and near the outer edge of the end 16 is a screw hole 20. The outermost portions of the ends 15 and 16 containing the respective screw holes 19 and 20 overlie parts of the. edge face 12 of the door 10 immediately adjacent the hole 11. A fiap 21, which is in reality a portion of the anchoring member from the strike opening 17, is bent inwardly from an edge of the strip 18 so that, when mounted upon the door frame 10, the flap 21 will lie within the hole 11.

The movable member 14 consists of tabs 25 and 26 at opposite ends which are joined at one side of each to a strike lip 27. A long flange 28 is bent inwardly from an inside edge of the strike lip 27, the long flange 28 consisting of a portion of the material intermediate the tabs 25 and 26 which, when cut free of the tabs and bent as shown, makes provision for an inner strike opening 29. A flange 30 extends inwardly from the tab 25, and a similar flange 31 extends inwardly from the tab 26.

Tab 25 is provided with a transversely elongated screw hole 32, and tab 26 is provided with a similarly transversely elongated screw hole 33. The elongated screw hole 32 is adapted to lie in alignment with an outer screw hole 34 in the end 15. The elongated hole 33 similarly is adapted to lie in alignment with an outer screw hole 35 in the end 16. To dress up the assembly of the anchoring member with the movable member, an offset 36, is provided between the strike lip 27 and the tab 25 while a similar offset 37 is provided between the strike lip 27 and the tab 26. ,A cut-out portion 38 in the end 15 is adapted to receive the offset 36 and a cut-out portion 39 in the end 16 is adapted to receive the offset 37.

In assembling the device, a nut 40 is placed beneath the tab 2-5 and the flange 30 is located close enough to the elongated hole 32 so that a flat side of the nut will engage the flange 30, thereby to prevent the nut from turning. A machine screw 41 extends through the screw hole 34 in the end 15 and the elongated hole 32 in the tab 25 and engages the nut 40, beneath which is a lock washer 42. A machine screw 43 at the opposite end provides a similar attachment between the end 16 and the tab 26.

The anchoring member 13 attached in this fashion to the movable member 14 as an assembly is mounted upon the door frame 10. This is accomplished by applying a wood screw 44 through the screw hole 19 into the edge face 12 of the door frame 10 and a similar wood screw 45 through the screw hole 20 into the edge face 12 of the door frame 10 adjacent the opposite ends of the hole 11. In this fashion the anchoring member 13 is attached to the door frame 10 entirely independently of the movable member 14. After this has been accomplished, should there be occasion to shift the location of the movable member 14 relative to the anchoring member 13, the machine screws 41 and 43 are loosened slightly. After this has been accomplished, the movable member 14, together with the strike lip 27 which forms part of it, can be moved transversely either from right to left or from left to right as viewed in FIGURES 1, 2 and 3 to some newly adjusted position. The movement, although limited by the length of the elongated holes 32 and 33 is sufficient for virtually all adjustment needs which are normally encountered. Movement from left to right, of course, is limited by abutment of the offsets 36 and 37 against the respective sides of the cut out portions 38 and 39. After the movable member has been set in the new position desired by the adjustment, the machine screws 41 and 43 are tightened securely in position by application of a screw driver and the parts are then firmly anchored in a newly adjusted position for the movable member. Should any readjustment be necessary,

it is made possible by merely loosening the machine screws 41 and 43, shifting the movable member 14 to another position, and then tightening up the machine screws 41 and 43. The adjustments just described which make use of the machine screws 41 and 43 can be made at any time without disturbing in any manner whatsoever, the attachment of the wood screws 44 and 45 to the door frame 10, which in turn formally anchor the anchoring member 13 to the door frame 10.

On those occasions where there may be hard and repeated slammings of a door, an additional tightening device may be provided between the anchoring member 13 and the movable member 14. The tightening device may take the form of a lock washer 46 located as shown in FIGURE between the inner face of the end 15 of the anchoring member 13 and the outer face of the tab 25 of the movable member'1'4. A similar lock washer (not shown) may preferably also be employed between the inner face of the end 16 of the anchoring member 13 and the outer face of the tab 26 of the movable member 1-4. The remaining structure featuring a machine screw 41 and its corresponding nut 40 is the same as has already been described for both ends.

It will be clear from the foregoing description that a readily adjustable feature is built into the combined anchoring member and movable member by simple means which, in the selected embodiment, consist merely of especially forming the respective members by proper stamping or other forming technique into relative engaging portions with appropriate adjusting screw holes, which accommodate a substantially conventional screw means. A relatively inexpensive but readily adjustable strike is in this manner provided and also one Which can be readjusted at any time without disturbing the permanent anchoring of the combination to the door frame.

While the invention has herein been shown and described in what is conceived to be the most .practical and preferred embodiment, it is recognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the invention, which is not to be limited to the details disclosed herein but is to be accorded the full scope of the claims so as to embrace any and all equivalent devices.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new in support of Letters Patent is:

1. An adjustable strike device for a lock comprising an anchoring member adapted to be attached to the frame of a door and a movable member adapted to engage a latch bolt, said anchoring member comprising a plate element adapted to overlie a portion of the frame, said plate element having a latch bolt clearance opening therein and having apertures respectively for fastening screw means adapted to engage the door frame and adjusting screw means adapted to engage the movable member, said movable member being formed from sheet metal and having a strike lip and a flange extending from a vertical edge thereof toward the frame and forming a latch bolt clearance opening, said movable member providing at least one tab extending horizontally from said strike lip edge, said tab having a horizontal elongated hole, and adapted to underlie said plate element, a reinforcing flange on the under side of said tab forming part of said tab and extending towards the frame and alongside of said hole, said adjusting screw means extending through an aperture in the plate element and the hole, and nut means in engage ment with said adjusting screw means and the flange whereby to hold the movable member in a selected position of adjustment relative to said anchoring member.

2. A device according to claim 1 wherein said plate element has a latch bolt clearance opening with an open side of said clearance opening facing the strike lip and a stiffening flange extending toward the frame on a side of said last clearance opening opposite said open side.

3. A device according to claim 1 wherein said adjusting screw means includes a lock washer beneath the nut means.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,295,458 2/1919 'Erfimeyer 292341.19 1,297,528 3/1919 Wright 292341.19 2,124,249 7/1938 Guiducci l5135 2,179,575 11/1939 Hosking 151--35 2,695,807 11/1954 Bissot 292-341.18 3,190,333 6/1965 Lanius 15135 FOREIGN PATENTS 571,621 7/1954 Canada.

PATRICK A. CLIFFORD, Primary Examiner.

JOSEPH D. SEERS, M. HENSO-N WOOD, JR.,

Examiners.

S. LEII NER, Assistant Examiner. 

1. AN ADJUSTABLE STRIKE DEVICE FOR A LOCK COMPRISING AN ANCHORING MEMBER ADAPTED TO BE ATTACHED TO THE FRAME OF A DOOR AND A MOVABLE MEMBER ADAPTED TO ENGAGE A LATCH BOLT, SAID ANCHORING MEMBER COMPRISING A PLATE ELEMENT ADAPTED TO OVERLIE A PORTION OF THE FRAME, SAID PLATE ELEMENT HAVING A LATCH BOLT CLEARANCE OPENING THEREIN AND HAVING APERTURES RESPECTIVELY FOR FASTENING SCREW MEANS ADAPTED TO ENGAGE THE DOOR FRAME AND ADJUSTING SCREW MEANS ADAPTED TO ENGAGE THE MOVABLE MEMBER, SAID MOVABLE MEMBER AND BEING FORMED FROM SHEET METAL AND HAVING A STRIKE LIP AND A FLANGE EXTENDING FROM A VERTICAL EDGE THEREOF TOWARD THE FRAME AND FORMING A LATCH BOLT CLEARANCE OPENING, SAID MOVABLE MEMBER PROVIDING AT LEAST ONE TAB EXTENDING HORIZONTALLY FORM SAID STRIKE LIP EDGE, SAID TAB HAVING A HORIZONTAL ELONGATED HOLE, AND ADAPTED TO UNDERLIE SAID PLATE ELEMENT, A REINFORCING FLANGE ON THE UNDER SIDE OF SAID TAB FORMING PART OF SAID TAB AND EXTENDING TOWARDS THE FRAME AND ALONGSIDE OF SAID HOLE, SAID ADJUSTING SCREW MEANS EXTENDING THROUGH AN APERTURE IN THE PLATE ELEMENT AND THE HOLE, AND NUT MEANS IN ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID ADJUSTING SCREW MEAN AND THE FLANGE WHEREBY TO HOLD THE MOVABLE MEMBER IN A SELECTED POSITION OF ADJUSTMENT RELATIVE TO SAID ANCHORING MEMBER. 